Mad Max, Fox Terrier

Goodbye, Max

2009-10-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

Max is dead.

He and Rufus got out of the house Friday night, ran into a nearby road and were hit by a truck. Rufus was killed instantly. We took Max to the emergency clinic, but X-rays showed extensive damage to his hips and spine, and so we put him to sleep. He died as I stroked him and looked into his eyes.

We buried Max and Rufus together in our yard, so they are together in death as they were in life -- best friends.

As you know from reading this blog, Max could be a terrible dog. He would attack any other dog and kill small animals. In three years he never learned to sit, stay or come. He stole food off the table. He refused to be housebroken and considered the entire house to be his potty. He richly deserved his nickname "Rat Dog."

Max was also the sweetest little guy I ever met. He had a huge nose and a personality to match. His favorite place was on my lap having his belly scratched. On walks he would trot along like a little gentleman, his eyes watching everything, missing nothing.

As I've said before: you tend to love the kid who gives you the most trouble. Max gave me a plateful of trouble in his short life, and I loved him like crazy.

Goodbye, Max.

Max Did NOT Kill The Puppy

2009-10-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

Well, Max did not kill the new puppy, although it was touch-and-go for awhile.

To back up: While Bev and I were on vacation in New Hampshire a few weeks ago, we passed a dog rescue group on the side of the road that was giving away 15 puppies. Being suckers, we stopped and held a few, and soon we had adopted Sam, a 12-week-old rat terrier. Black and white spots, floppy ears -- the whole irresistible puppy package.

We weren't worried that we already had three dogs. We have a large home, a big yard, and we LOVE dogs. The only problem was Max. We knew that he attacks and tries to kill other animals, and that includes dogs. We figured if we could introduce Max to the puppy gradually over several days, Sam had a good chance of surviving.

It was like we figured. Our old dog, Ginger, sniffed Sam and then ignored him. Rufus, our English Setter, wanted to play ball with Sam, using Sam for the ball. But when Max saw us holding the puppy, he launched himself -- mouth frothing, teeth chattering -- straight at Sam. We had to kick him away and put Sam in a cage, where Max tried to bite through the bars to get at the cowering puppy. Whew.

We kept Max and Sam separated, and when we got home from vacation, we gradually began bringing the two together. At first, we kept Max muzzled because he kept trying to bite. After a few days, we took the muzzle off and let Max approach Sam as we held him and kept one hand on Max's collar. There were several near misses, and Max bit the puppy once, but soon Max started to show more curiosity than aggression. He would sniff and nose the puppy, and if he started to get excited we gently made him back off.

We knew we were on the right path when we were able to break Max's fixation by offering him a treat or calling him to go outdoors. And after a week, we put the puppy on the floor, Max sniffed him and then went to eat his supper. Victory.

We still have to be careful. Max and the puppy will play, and it's a fine line between play and aggression with Max. If Sam runs away, Max quickly switches to attack mode. But we think as the puppy grows, he will look less like prey and more like a friend, and Max will calm down.

So Max did NOT kill the new puppy, and we're well on our way to becoming a four-dog family.

Toads: The Fifth Food Group

2009-08-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

The highlight of Max's day is when we put the leashes on our three dogs and go for a walk. Max and his buddy Rufus play in the yard all day, but there's no substitute for the walk. It seems to fill a doggy psychological need. Even if we talk a short walk, Max always comes back refreshed and relaxed.

When we walk, Max has to wear a head harness or he leaps and lunges uncontrollably. The harness fits loosely over his head and attaches to the leash. If he tries to lunge, the harness pulls his head sideways, something he doesn't like. So Max walks like a small gentleman, head erect, looking straight ahead.

In harness, Max ignores other dogs, cats and even the occasional rabbit. (Out of harness, these things turn him into a raging, frothing mini-tornado.) But he has one weakness: toads. There are plenty of toads in our neighborhood during the summer, and there's always one hopping across our path and under Max's long nose. When this happens, there's a quick jerk on the leash, a snap and the poor creature is ready for Toad Heaven.

But with the delights of killing amphibians also comes Toad's Revenge. The toad releases a foul-tasting fluid that gives Max a bad case of "Aggghh! What's in my mouth? Help, I'm dying!"

Despite this, Max continues to bite toads. I guess his little psycho-pooch brain is long on aggression and short on consequences. I hope he never meets a skunk.

2009-03-23T16:51:00.001-07:00

Max supports reading!

BANISHED!

2009-02-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

It finally happened. Max has been kicked off the bed, where he had slept under the covers since we got him. He has been banished to a dog bed in the corner of the bedroom. He is not happy.

This is a major change for all of us. The day we got him, we said, "Where will Max sleep?" and he answered the question by diving under the covers. He had slept there since, a furry hot-water bottle on cold nights. And every morning, he would crawl out and stick his big nose in my face to wake me up or, if that didn't work, sit on my head.

Unfortunately, Max was territorial under the covers. He never touched me (I am Alpha Dog, after all), but if my wife bumped him at night, he would nip her. The last time this happened, we decided enough was enough. Max was out.

Convincing Max was another matter. The next night, he jumped onto the bed and I nudged him off. He jumped up and I pushed him off. He jumped up and I kicked him off. (You trying telling a Fox Terrier no.) After the sixth repetition, he stood on the floor, a look of confused reproach on his face. We made him a bed of blankets on the floor and covered him with a bath robe. It took several tries, but we got him to stay there.

We went through this routine several nights and then bought Max a fluffy dog bed. He inspected it and settled down, apparently deciding that sleeping in a little bed was preferable to getting knocked off the big one.

From king of the covers to dog-bed refugee. Poor Max.

Max the Knife, or Where Is Rufus' Tail?

2009-01-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

Warning: The following post is not for the weak of heart or stomach.

Max and his best friend, Rufus, stay together in a large cage when the family isn't home. This was fine until last Thursday when I arrived home late from work. The family wasn't there , so I let our three dogs out of the house, to the usual happy commotion.

Coming back inside, I was shocked to see heavy blood spotting across the kitchen floor. I followed the red trail to the cage, and found a scene of crimson gore: blood soaking the cage floor, spattering the wall behind it, drenching the window curtains, spotting furniture, and pooling on the carpet around the cage.

Quickly checking, I found Rufus' tail and hindquarters were drenched with fresh blood. And with every step, more dripped from the end of his tail.

The next hour was a confused blur as a neighbor and I used direct pressure, chemical cauterization and wrapping to stop the bleeding. Rufus was in shock from blood loss and pain, but we wrapped him in a blanket and he soon recovered.

The house looked like a butcher's shop, with blood spotting, streaking, smearing and soaking surfaces from the back door to the bathtub (where we contained the worst). Five days later, we're still sponging blood out of the carpet, and I'll have to repaint sections of the walls.

So what happened? Our vet later found that the tip of Rusus' tail, about an inch, had been neatly severed. You can see his tail bone in the wound, yuck!

I have two theories:

1. Rufus somehow wedged his tail into the wire of the cage and yanked off the tip while getting loose.

2. Max and Rufus fought in the cage, and Max bit off Rufus' tail.

Either idea is plausible, especially since the cage was half-wrecked, as though someone had thrashed around in it. However, there was no hair caught on the cage, no blood on Max's muzzle, and we never found the tail tip.

Rufus will be fine, though he will have a little less wag from now on. And I have my suspicions about what happened. Since the "accident," Max has looked particularly innocent, a clear sign he's guilty of something.

Max and Ginger

2008-10-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

When Max came home Ginger did not like it at all!!So when Max went outside .Ginger came outside too.Max wanted to play with Ginger but Ginger didn't want to.

Mei-An
Age:8

Pin Toes

2008-10-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have a condition called "Pin Toes." Its symptoms include sudden, sharp pains in my back and legs at night, like pins pricking my skin. Very uncomfortable and can cause me to suddenly shoot 18 inches off the bed.

This lamentable condition is not medical in nature. It's Maxable. It's caused by his long lower leg bones, which make his legs stick straight out when he lies on his side. When he crawls under the covers at night and stretches out those long legs, his sharp little claws come into sudden contact with my back or legs, causing me to levitate, gyrate and expostulate.

There are two possible remedies for Pin Toes. The first is forbidding Max to sleep under the covers, but that's not very practical. Let's see you try to tell a Fox Terrier he can't do something.

The second option is to break all four of Max's legs. That may sound cruel and extreme, but when Pin Toes strikes at 2 a.m., it seems like a reasonable solution.

Got the Hamster, Got the Hamster -- Drat!

2008-07-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

Max's lifelong dream of killing my daughter's hamster almost came true last night. We were cleaning the hamster's cage and put her in her exercise ball to roll around a little. We had the bedroom door blocked, but Max shoved past the barricade and attacked the ball. Quick as a flash, he knocked off the lid and stuck in his long nose.

Mei-An screamed. I grabbed Max by the collar and hauled him out with the hamster clenched in his jaws. I smacked Max on the back of his head, and the hamster flew across the room. When I had locked the struggling Max out of the room, the hamster was soggy, chewed and looked half dead. I put her in her cage to die in peace, but instead she shuffled over to her food bowl, ate a good supper and went to sleep. In the morning, she was perfectly fine.

Max was foiled this time, but he'll be back. Until next time, he'll keep bouncing up and down in front of the hamster cage, chanting, Want the hamster! Want the hamster!

The Cat Must Die

2008-05-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Chin, our cat, lives in fear. She can't lie on the window sill, eat a meal or scratch in the litter box without being pursued by a pair of beady Eyes.

The cat must die.

If she comes down the stairs, the Eyes chase her back up. If she enters the bathroom, the Eyes scare her into the tub. The Eyes lurk. They pounce.

The cat must die.

The Eyes want to corner her, bite her, destroy her. They will not stop until she is just a pile of bloody fur. The Eyes are attached to a long snout filled with teeth. Big teeth.

The cat must die.

Yes, It's Really That Big!

2008-03-30T17:29:00.001-07:00

People who see pictures of Max always ask the same question: "Is his nose really that big?"

Yes, Max's snout is amazingly, astoundingly, astonishingly huge. Even on a large dog, it would still be big.

To prove this point, I calcutated the percentage of Max's nose to his total body length and compared him to Rufus, our English Setter. Rufus is 37 inches long and his nose is 3.5 inches long, making his nose 9.4% of his body length. Max is 26 inches long, and his nose measures 4 inches, making it 15.3% of his body length.

A few absolutely true facts about Max's nose:

* Sitting in the backyard, he can tell you what's for lunch -- in Alaska

* When he sneezes, scientists in Peru report a seismic event

* He gives anteaters an inferiority complex

* In a race, Max always, always wins by a nose

Max's New Pal or Why He Didn't Kill Rufus

2008-02-28T12:11:00.001-08:00

Despite being only 20 pounds, Max is very aggressive. When he sees another dog, he instantly switches to Kill Mode: lunging, growling, chattering his teeth and sometimes foaming at the mouth. Needless to say, we keep Max away from other dogs.

Two weeks ago, we drove to the local SPCA to look for another dog. We were surpirsed to see so many English Setters until we learned the SPCA doubles as an English Setter rescue. The dogs were all beautiful, but we chose Cutter, a handsome red and white male who was given up because he couldn't hunt. He had been at the shelter for 13 months, and we decided this boy really needed a home.

There was one small problem: Max. We thought he would like having a buddy, but we had to figure out how to introduce the two without Max ripping Cutter's head off. We suspected that might not make a good impression on the shelter workers.

I strapped on Max's muzzle (an essential piece of equipment for a Fox Terrier owner) and took him into the exercise yard to meet Cutter. I dropped Max's leash and he launched himself at Cutter, driving for the kill. He bounced off, and lunged again. And again. And again.

After 15 minutes, he finally realized he couldn't bite Cutter and gave up, panting and perplexed. We signed the adoption papers, drove Max and Cutter home, and turned them loose in our large, fenced yard. Max renewed the attack: chase, leap, bounce, chase, leap, bounce, but wasn't able to score a single bite.

Half an hour later, he stopped and stood staring at Cutter. I gingerly removed the muzzle, ready to grab him if he leaped. Instead, he and Cutter approached slowly and sniffed noses. Then they exchanged a signal -- let's play! -- and took off around the yard on a game of doggy tag. They haven't stopped since.

The trick was getting Max past his natural agression, and the muzzle did the trick. He and Rufus (we changed Cutter's name; Rufus is Latin for red) are a real Odd Couple. Rufus is tall and elegant, Max is tiny with a huge nose. Rufus is relaxed and easy going, Max is focused and intense. Rufus is curled up at my feet, Max is upstairs trying to eat the cat.

Ah, doggy domesticity.

Mr. December

2008-02-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

This past Christmas, I looked for a Smooth Fox Terrier calendar as a gift for my wife, but I couldn't find one. I guess the breed isn't popular enough.

So my daughters and I spend one weekend photographing Max in 12 "typical" poses: Max standing on the dining room table, Max trying to eat the hamster, Max lunging on the leash. We found a calendar program on the Internet and made our own: 12 Months of Max.

My wife was delighted, and the calendar has been quite popular with people who know Max. If you'd like a copy, let me know and I'll email you the complete file.

Max's Dream

2008-02-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

This is really Max. Click on the cartoon to see it full size.

Watch Out, Max. It's Chinese New Year!

2008-02-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

I have two daughters from China, and Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) is a big deal in our home. Lots of friends and family, home-cooked Chinese food and fireworks.

You may have heard that the Chinese eat dogs, and it's true, at least in southern China, where my younger daughter is from. So in honor of the holiday -- and as a warning to Max that he'd better behave -- here's a recipe for stewed dog.

Stewed Dog

Serving Size: 30

Preparation Time: 3 hours

6.5 pounds dog meat (Lamb may be substituted, but don't tell Max)

1 1/2 cups vinegar

60 peppercorns, crushed

6 tablespoons salt

12 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup cooking oil

6 cups onion, sliced

3 cups tomato sauce

10 cups boiling water

6 cups red pepper, cut into strips

6 pieces bay leaf

1 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1 1/2 cups liver spread

1 whole fresh pineapple, cut 1/2 inch thick

1. First, kill a medium-sized dog, then burn off the fur over a hot fire.

2. Carefully remove the skin while still warm and set aside for later (may be used in other recpies)

3. Cut meat into 1″ cubes. Marinade meat in mixture of vinegar, peppercorn, salt and garlic for 2 hours.

4. Fry meat in oil using a large wok over an open fire, then add onions and chopped pineapple and saute until tender.

5. Pour in tomato sauce and boiling water, add green peper, bay leaf and tobasco.

6. Cover and simmer over low flame until meat is tender. Blend in liver spread and cook for additional 5-7 minutes.

Max: The 'Difficult Child'

2008-02-02T05:33:00.000-08:00

During our first few months with Max -- when we found out what a "Fox Terror" -- is really like, we decided he was't a good match for us, and we listed him with a rescue service. I have since learned this is what happens to many Fox Terriers. They are so cute and smart and perky that people are happy to take them home. But their frustrated owners give them up after a few months when they won't quit chasing cats, emptying trash cans and pooping on the rug.

In the months we were waiting for Max to get a new home, I got attached to him and eventually decided to keep him. My wife was less enthusiastic about the decision, and yesterday she said the rescue service was asking about placing Max again.

This made me think about the "difficult child" paradox: you especially love the one that gives you the most trouble. I see this among my own relatives. The kid who should be locked up is the one his mother dotes on.

This is how I feel about Max. He won't stop chasing the cats, emptying trash cans and pooping on the rug. Or jumping up on the dining room table, barking at night or trying to kill the hamsters. He is more trouble than any other dog I've had. And that's part of why I love him. His bad points make his good ones more precious. When Max is curled up on my lap getting a tummy rub, I feel I've really earned the moment.

Max is a pain in the neck. And he's worth it.

Boing! Boing!

2008-01-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

Max's mission in life is to eat my daughter's pet rats. When we hear Boing! Boing! upstairs, we know Max is bouncing up and down in front of the cage, which sits on a desk, trying to bite the rats through the bars. Last night, we heard Boing! Boing! CRASH! Running upstairs, we found that 20-pound Max had managed to grab the 30-pound cage and yank it off the desk. There was litter and rat poop everywhere, but the cage didn't break and the rats are fine. Max is already plotting his next attack.

Max's Top 10 Top Annoying Habits

2008-01-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

Max does things that drive me crazy. Sometimes he does a few each day, sometimes he does several at once. Maybe these Top 10 are just Max, but maybe all Smooth Fox Terriers do them. Let me know what your pup does.

10. Lunging on the leash during walks.
9. Bolting out the door and refusing to come
8. Jumping onto the table to steal food
7. Attacking other dogs
6. Sleeping under the covers and jumping up several times a night
5. Nipping when excited
4. Barking at everything, especially at night
3. Trying to get at hamsters and pet rats, and never giving up
2. Stalking the cats, always stalking the cats
1. Pooping on the rug after he's been outside for an hour

Mad Max: Smooth Fox Terrier

2008-01-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

Max is a dog on a mission. Like a 20-pound steel spring, he bounces repeatedly in front of the hamster cage. He is totally focused on the cage, teeth gleaming, tongue lolling, eyes slightly crazed. Boing! Boing! Boing! Max wants the hamster, needs the hamster. Nothing else exists except the wire cage and the warm, furry body inside. Max is going to get the hamster, and he will not, cannot stop.

Hi, welcome to my blog about Smooth Fox Terriers. My name is Court, and I live on Maryland's Eastern Shore with my family and a Fox Terrier named Max, a.k.a. Mad Max, Mini and Rat Dog. I started this blog because I couldn't find one about Smooth Fox Terriers, and I want to share my experiences and hear from others who are enjoying the breed.

To begin, I've always been a big-dog person. I've had Golden Retrievers, Yellow Labs, Standards Poodles and mutts, none of them smaller than 40 pounds. I used to look down on small, yappy breeds.

That changed this past June when Fred, my sweet Yellow Lab, died of cancer. We've always been a two-dog family, and we didn't want our mutt Ginger to be lonely, so we piled into the car and headed for the SPCA.

We walked up and down the aisles and looked at a variety of breeds and no-breeds. As we came to the end of one row, we spotted a huge nose attached to a small black and white dog. We didn't know what it was, but we were fascinated: how could that tiny body support that big nose?

We took Max home and the adventure began. We didn't know anything about Smooth Fox Terriers but soon found out they are nothing like the easygoing, obedient Labs we were used to.

Max is "on" 24 hours a day, always ready to play or start trouble. He has to wear a special head collar on walks or he lunges the whole way. He has no concept of personal space, and his big nose is always in your face. Sleeping under the bed covers is an inalienable right, and trash cans are meant to be excavated. He eats leftovers standing on the kitchen table. He is sweet and affectionate. He likes to curl up on your lap and enjoys a good tummy rub. He has no interest in house training. "Sit" and "stay" are for losers. He picks fights with all strange dogs, no matter how big they are, and he will kill any small animal he can catch. The score so far: two chickens and six rats.

At first, we thought we had gotten a defective dog, but we read up on the breed and found out Max is a typical Smooth Fox Terrier: happy, smart, energetic, fun loving, affectionate, disobedient, stubborn and obsessive. So much personality packed into such small dog.

We weren't sure we could handle Max, and for a time we listed him with a rescue service. But he is such a sweet little guy that we finally decided we would keep him, psychoses and all.

Max is always getting into something, so I will post Max stories from time to time. And I'd like to hear from other Smooth Fox Terrier owners. We can have a few laughs, and maybe learn from each other. If you've had luck with house training, I'd really like to know.